- Bambi has to be one of the most stunning of all animated films, nevermind Disney films, and the preliminary artwork that went into it is probably even greater than what made it to the screen. The Bambi Sketchbook series book and the Ollie Johnston/Frank Thomas‘ Bambi book supports this with lots of beautiful artwork.

I can’t resist posting some of these images, so decided to go for it. It’s inspiration for me and may be for some of you as well.

From the Sketchbook, these are sketches by Tyrus Wong. His artwork really shaped this movie and give it the amazing integrity it has.

Mmm, yum! I first saw this stuff in “Before the Animation Begins” and was always hoping to see more. Somehow, despite being a Disney fan since kindergarten, I had never seen Bambi until a coworker lent me the DVD last fall. I sure was missing out! In my opinion, this is the most beautiful (in that lyrical, elegant, too-good-for-a-shmuck-like-me sense of the word) of all Disney movies, maybe even animated films. Extreme statement? That opening multiplane shot, with the owl coming in on just the right line at just the right time is amazing. And it goes on like that through the entire thing. Thanks for posting these!

I wonder where Davis’ artwork for Bambi survives though. A teacher of a friend visited him once and claims Davis’ study was literally papered with his skeletal studies from the film. (The room was also littered with stacks of Bambi sketches.)

And I agree entirely with you about the film. It is one of the few truly mature films the medium has ever offered.